What to watch, and more! May 2 – May 8
Back to Mayberry, a run for the roses & ‘Time’ put influencers in the spotlight
FRIDAY, May 2
Adult Best Friends
Delaney Buffett, Kate Corwin, Zachary Quinto and Mason Goodwin star in this new streaming flick about a couple of drifted-apart girlfriends, a boyfriend, a bachelor party…and what happens next (Max).
Bad Boy
Series is an international production based on the true story of a teenager (played by Daniel Chen) imprisoned in a juvenile detention facility, exploring youth, redemption, brotherhood, friendship and how creativity can help heal deep wounds (Netflix).
SATURDAY, May 3
The Kentucky Derby
The granddaddy of Southern horse racing bolts out of the gate in this annual “Run for the Roses” from Churchill Downs in—where else?—Kentucky (12 noon, NBC and Peacock).
SUNDAY, May 4
Month of Mayberry
Let Andy and Barney and the whole gang guide you through a month of classic-TV programming, including Andy Griffith’s “crossover” spots on Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C, The Danny Thomas Show and others, plus a couple of Mayberry reunion specials from 2003 and 1986 (MeTV).
TIME100: The World’s Most Influential People
Go inside the publication’s annual listing with this gala event, featuring musical performances and other appearances of some of the honorees, including Snoop Dogg, Ed Sheeran, Serena Williams and Demi Moore (10 p.m., ABC).
MONDAY, May 5
Matter of Mind: My Alzheimer’s
An intimate portrait of families facing the challenges of the devastating neurodegenerative disease and how it transforms role and relationships (10 p.m., PBS).
The Playboy Murders
Holly Madison returns to host season three of the true-crime series recounting shocking intersections of murder and mystery in the sexy world of America’s iconic “girly magazine” (9 p.m., ID).
TUESDAY, May 6
Ms. Pat Settles It
Stand-up comic Patricia Williams Lee, known as Ms. Pat, returns for another season of her “reality court” comedy series, in which “juries” of her family members and friends arbitrate real-life lawsuits, feuds and squabbles (10 p.m., BET).
WEDNESDAY, May 7
Humingbirds of Hollywood
In the showbiz capital of the world, a woman finds herself on a transformative journey nurturing hummingbirds, unraveling a visually stunning tale of love, fragility, healing and the delicate beauty found in acts of kindness (8 p.m., PBS).
Life or Death Negotiators
What does it take to navigate a situation in which one wrong move can be deadly? Find out in this high-stakes docuseries about negotiators skilled at handling matters in which life hangs in the balance (10 p.m., National Geographic).
THURSDAY, May 8
Poker Face
Season two begins of the award-winning mystery series starring Natasha Lyonne, with guest appearances by a buncha all stars, including Cynthia Erivo, Katie Holmes and Awkwafina (Peacock).
ACM Awards
Reba McEntire will host tonight’s 60th anniversary awarding of honors to country music’s top artists and writers, live from Frisco, Texas. Ella Langley leads the pack with eight nominations, followed closely by Cody Johnson, Morgan Wallen and Lainey Wilson (Prime Video).
BRING IT HOME
The wife (Michelle Pfeifer) of a university professor (Harrison Ford) believes that their lakeside Vermont home is haunted by a ghost in What Lies Beneath. Is it, or is she losing her mind? This special remastered 25th anniversary re-release of director Robert Zemeckis’ classic cult-fave horror tale is loaded with bonus content, including commentary and a feature-length documentary about making the movie. What Lies Beneath remains Ford’s only “horror” film, and Zemeckis gave a nod to Alfred Hitchcock with Pfeifer as the film’s blond heroine, a recurring theme of Hitch’s meticulous casting.
The definitive documentary about the late, great pioneer of reggae music Bob Marley is now available on DVD, honoring what would have been his 80th birthday. Marley (MVD) delves into the life, legacy and achievements of the reggae superstar, who died in 1981, but not before putting the music of his native Jamacia on the global map, turning the world on to his Rasta vibes.
READ ALL ABOUT IT
Movie buffs, you’re sure to dig these new books. Hollywood Boozers, Brawlers and Hard-Luck cases, by Laura Wagner, digs into sordid, scandalous, sometimes just sad and often career-upending tabloid tales from Hollywood’s Golden Age. It’s a big bunch of drunkenness, brawls and even murder among mid-level actors and actresses who weren’t always “protected” from news hounds by the big studios. Then, Aubrey Sullivan’s The Cinemascope Years leaps onto the screen with the story of what was once a theatrical game-changer—the widescreen technology of Cinemascope—with an inside scoop on more than 500 movies that “went big” during the 1950s and ‘60s, including The Bridge on the River Kwai, North to Alaska, The King and I and The Guns of Navarone, and many other films of all genres. (McFarland).
Ballastic: The New Science of Injury-Free Athletic Performance
Find out about the ongoing study of how athletes move…and why they can get hurt, in author Henry Abbott’s fact-filled dive into strength training, psychology, biomechanics and pain, and the strides made by sports science to keep competitors safe. It makes great companion reading for the next football game, MMA match or just about anything where someone might get carted off in a stretcher (W.W. Norton).
Felony Juggler
The master magician Penn Jillette is known for mind-blowing tricks on TV and on stage with his partner Teller, but here he puts down the wand and picks up a pen. In this fictional twisty-turn-y tale, a street performer finds himself ensnared in a crime and must outwit his fellow conspirators with a feat of juggling so prodigious, it’s like…well, magic! So you can add “juggling novel” to Jillette’s long list of show-biz accomplishments! (Akashic).
Did ancient Romans play Monopoly? Not exactly, but there’s a through-line from those olden days straight to the modern world with “tabletop” games, the small-scale diversions we devise to engage us, entertain us and bond us. That’s what author G.T. Karber explores in Across the Board (Abrams), an engrossing dive into player-vs.-player pastimes from ancient Egyptians to Pokemon kids, and how those kind of games parallel the march of civilization across the centuries (Abrams).
The Media Tourist 